"The story is so convoluted that it defied simple explanation at the time. Even today, the episode can be plausibly presented (depending on the political leanings of the presenter) as either a simple bureaucratic screwup or an unsuccessful effort by the right to pursue its agenda at the expense of the nation’s kids."
in either case, ketchup was not actually ever classified as a vegetable in approved legislation:
"When the proposed new rules were released for comment in September 1981, food activists went ballistic. Democratic politicians staged photo ops where they feasted on skimpy-looking meals that conformed to the new standards. The mortified administration withdrew the proposal and the USDA official in charge of the program was transferred, a move widely interpreted as a firing."
I'm too young to remember anything from the time. I have many times heard people say "american schools classify ketchup as a vegetable" as if it actually was put into practice or true today, both in the states and while talking with people in europe. it's one of my earliest memories of realizing firsthand how "truth" is so easily manipulated.
I’ve never heard it put that way, more like “condiment as vegetable typifies republican thinking” as a shorthand for perceived attacks on national infrastructure.
"The story is so convoluted that it defied simple explanation at the time. Even today, the episode can be plausibly presented (depending on the political leanings of the presenter) as either a simple bureaucratic screwup or an unsuccessful effort by the right to pursue its agenda at the expense of the nation’s kids."
in either case, ketchup was not actually ever classified as a vegetable in approved legislation:
"When the proposed new rules were released for comment in September 1981, food activists went ballistic. Democratic politicians staged photo ops where they feasted on skimpy-looking meals that conformed to the new standards. The mortified administration withdrew the proposal and the USDA official in charge of the program was transferred, a move widely interpreted as a firing."